Seven Mysterious Spaces: My Rise to Power in the Cultivation World

Carrying the newly refined ancient treasure, Zhuang Yu took Wang Yao's hand and quickly left the palace, speeding towards the valley exit.

Wang Yao followed closely, her eyes filled with admiration.

The valley had a complex terrain with many forks in the road, but Zhuang Yu seemed to know it like the back of his hand, choosing a path without hesitation at an astonishing speed.

Chen Ba, hiding in the shadows, watched their departing figures, his face terribly gloomy.

"Damn it! He actually got the ancient treasure!" He slammed his fist on the stone wall beside him, sending shards of stone flying.

He turned to look at the timid Li Si beside him, a sinister glint in his eyes, "Li Si, follow them, find an opportunity to trip them up, and it would be best if they died in the valley!"

Li Si trembled in fright. "Brother Ba... this... isn't this a bit inappropriate? Zhuang Yu is now..." Chen Ba gave him a sharp look, and Li Si immediately fell silent, not daring to say anything more. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao traversed the valley rapidly, surrounded by ancient trees that blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with a damp atmosphere.

Suddenly, a fierce magical attack came from the side, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

Zhuang Yu reacted quickly, pulling Wang Yao behind him and simultaneously conjuring a golden barrier to block the attack.

With a loud "boom," the golden light barrier trembled violently, but ultimately managed to block the attack steadily.

A cold glint flashed in Zhuang Yu's eyes, and he coldly shouted, "Chen Ba, if you dare to fight me head-on, I, Zhuang Yu, will not be afraid of you! Hiding your head and showing your tail, what kind of hero are you!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ba, who was hiding in the shadows, became even more gloomy, but he did not show himself. Instead, he continued to direct Li Si to wait for an opportunity to act.

Zhuang Yu narrowed his eyes. He had long expected that Chen Ba would not let the matter rest, but he had not expected him to be so despicable.

He gripped Wang Yao's hand tightly, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy emanated from his body.

"Yao'er, hold on tight to me."

Wang Yao felt much more at ease after sensing the powerful aura emanating from Zhuang Yu, and she tightly grasped his hand.

Zhuang Yu took a deep breath, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and slowly raised his right hand, softly chanting a spell.

A strange rune appeared in his palm, radiating a dazzling light.

This is a spell that has never been used in front of a crowd before...

“This is…” Wang Yao looked at the runes in Zhuang Yu’s hand in surprise, her heart filled with doubt.

The runes in Zhuang Yu's palm suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, which quickly spread and formed a huge golden light shield, enveloping him and Wang Yao.

Mysterious runes flowed across the surface of the light shield, radiating powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

Almost simultaneously, another fierce attack came, but the moment it touched the light shield, it vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

This sudden turn of events stunned Chen Ba and Li Si, who were hiding in the shadows.

In the surrounding woods, small animals were startled by the sudden bright light and scattered in all directions. Birds flapped their wings and flew into the sky, letting out frightened cries.

Li Si, who was hiding behind the tree, was so surprised that his mouth was wide open and his eyes almost popped out.

"What... what kind of magic is this? It's so powerful!" He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't acted rashly, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Wang Yao looked at Zhuang Yu with concern, her hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, her eyes full of worry.

"Zhuang Yu, are you alright?" She could feel the powerful spiritual energy emanating from Zhuang Yu, and she felt both worried and admiring.

Zhuang Yu turned around, gave her a reassuring look, and said softly, "Yao'er, don't be afraid, I'm here." His tone was gentle yet firm, as if everything was under his control.

Wang Yao felt a warmth in her heart, held his hand tightly, and her eyes were filled with trust and reliance.

She knew that no matter what danger they encountered, Zhuang Yu would protect her.

Zhuang Yu's eyes were sharp as he scanned the surrounding woods, trying to find Chen Ba's hiding place.

He knew that Chen Ba would not give up easily and would definitely make another move.

He took a deep breath, and the runes in his palm lit up again, their light even more dazzling, like a miniature sun.

"Chen Ba, I know you're hiding in the shadows. If you have the guts, come out and fight me!" His voice was like a booming bell, echoing throughout the entire valley.

Chen Ba, hidden in the shadows, was ashen-faced. He hadn't expected Zhuang Yu to have such a powerful trump card.

He originally thought that with Li Si's sneak attack and the complex terrain of the valley, Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao would be trapped here to die.

But now it seems his plan has failed.

He gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes...

"Hmph, Zhuang Yu, you think you can escape like this? I'll see how long you can hold out!" He took out a black whistle from his storage bag, put it to his lips, and blew it softly...

A sharp whistle shattered the tranquility of the valley, its echoes reverberating and sending chills down one's spine.

As the whistle stopped, a series of deep roars came from the depths of the valley, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

Before long, several enormous black beasts, exuding an evil aura, appeared in everyone's sight. Their eyes gleamed with a scarlet light, and their fangs were exposed, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"Hmph, Zhuang Yu, let's see how you die this time!" Chen Ba hid in the shadows, laughing coldly.

Zhuang Yu sensed the intense evil energy emanating from the evil beast and frowned.

These evil beasts have clearly been specially crafted, and their strength should not be underestimated.

He shielded Wang Yao behind him, his hands forming incantations, and the golden light shield shone even brighter.

Upon receiving Chen Ba's command, the evil beast roared and charged towards Zhuang Yu, its stench assaulting his senses.

Zhuang Yu dared not be careless. While maintaining the golden light shield, he summoned his flying sword and engaged in a fierce battle with the evil beast.

The flying swords transformed into streaks of light, weaving among the evil beasts, yet they could not harm them in the slightest.

These evil beasts had thick hides and amazing defenses, and they were also extremely fast and fierce in their attacks. For a time, Zhuang Yu was at a disadvantage.

Wang Yao watched Zhuang Yu struggle within the golden light shield, her heart filled with anxiety.

She clutched the jade pendant tightly in her hand, silently praying that Zhuang Yu would be safe and sound.

Just then, Zhuang Yu suddenly felt a heat in his hand, and an inconspicuous little wooden plaque flew out of his storage bag and hovered in front of him.

This small wooden plaque was what he obtained in the mysterious space, and he had never discovered its purpose until now.

At this moment, the small wooden plaque emitted a soft white light, and a powerful force surged into Zhuang Yu's body.

"This is..." Zhuang Yu felt the surging power within him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, the flying sword in his hand shone brightly, its sword energy crisscrossing, instantly forcing several evil beasts back.

He flashed and appeared in front of an evil beast, his flying sword transforming into a golden light that pierced the beast's head.

"Awooo—" The evil beast let out a shrill scream, collapsed to the ground, and died.

Upon seeing this, the other evil beasts retreated, their eyes filled with fear.

Chen Ba hid in the shadows, his face turning extremely ugly.

He never expected Zhuang Yu to have such a trump card, capable of turning the tide of battle in an instant.

Zhuang Yu did not press his advantage. Instead, he sheathed his flying sword, held the small wooden plaque in his hand, and looked intently in the direction where Chen Ba was hiding.

"Chen Ba, I have remembered what happened today..."

Zhuang Yu ignored Chen Ba's hiding place; he knew it wasn't time to fight him yet.

He sheathed his flying sword and the small wooden sign, took Wang Yao's hand, and continued running towards the valley exit.

"Yao'er, let's go."

Chen Ba hid in the shadows, his face ashen, watching Zhuang Yu's departing figure, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

However, he dared not pursue rashly, after all, Zhuang Yu's strength just now made him wary, and he still did not know what other tricks Zhuang Yu had up his sleeve.

Guided by the ancient treasure, Zhuang Yu discovered a hidden path in the cliff.

This path was extremely well hidden; it would have been impossible to find it without the guidance of the ancient treasure.

He led Wang Yao along the path quickly, soon leaving Chen Ba far behind.

However, just as they were about to leave the valley, a thick fog appeared ahead.

The fog rolled and swirled, obscuring the sky and the sun, completely shrouding the road ahead and making it impossible to see which way to go.

"What is this?" Wang Yao looked at the mist in front of her, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

Zhuang Yu frowned, sensing that the mist was somewhat eerie.

He released his divine sense to investigate, but found that his divine sense could not penetrate the mist, as if it was blocked by something.

"Be careful, Yao'er, this fog is a bit strange." Zhuang Yu shielded Wang Yao behind him, gripping his flying sword tightly, ready to deal with any sudden danger.

They cautiously made their way into the fog, where visibility was decreasing until they could not see their own hands.

A chilling aura emanated from the mist, sending shivers down one's spine.

Suddenly, Zhuang Yu sensed a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation coming from the depths of the mist. This spiritual energy fluctuation was extremely powerful, making him feel a sense of unease.

"Who's playing tricks? Get out here!" Zhuang Yu shouted coldly, while simultaneously channeling his spiritual energy to its maximum, preparing for battle.

A chilling laugh echoed from within the mist, and a figure slowly emerged from it.

It was a man dressed in a black robe and wearing a ferocious mask. He held a long black sword in his hand, the blade gleaming with a chilling light.

"Hehehe... I didn't expect anyone to actually make it this far. It's quite a surprise." The man in black robes laughed coldly, his voice as chilling as an owl's, sending shivers down one's spine.

Zhuang Yu looked at the man in black robes in front of him, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

He knew that this person was definitely not simple.

"Who are you?" Zhuang Yu asked in a deep voice.

The man in black robes did not answer Zhuang Yu's question, but slowly raised the long sword in his hand, the tip of the sword pointing at Zhuang Yu.

"Boy, leave your life and your treasure, and I might consider giving you a quick death." The man in black robes spoke coldly, his voice filled with murderous intent.

A cold glint flashed in Zhuang Yu's eyes as he sneered, "If you want my life and my treasures, let's see if you have the ability!"

"You're courting death!" the black-robed man roared, his figure flashing as he transformed into a black shadow, lunging towards Zhuang Yu...

“Wait a minute…” Wang Yao suddenly spoke up.